Titan’s Steakhouse offers new alternative for dinner to those in the Southtowns

Thursday June 20, 2013 | By:Christopher Gordon | News

Titan’s Steakhouse General Manager Paul Coleman, left, said that Chef Pierre Carriere was chosen after he made three entreers, two appetizers and a salad in about 90 minutes during the interview process.

Craving a nice, juicy steak? If the answer is yes, then there is a new choice in Hamburg with Titan’s Steakhouse now open.

“We opened April 30,” said Paul Coleman, general manager of the restaurant.

He said they started by doing a soft opening and to date, the restaurant has been well recevied.

The restaurant, which is located at 4245 McKinley Parkway (near the corner of Route 20), is locally owned and operated.

Since opening its doors, Coleman said he is beginning to notice a nice trend.

“Customers are starting to come back here already,” he said.

Although it took time for the location to be found, Coleman said this idea has been in the works with the owner of the company, Mr. Lee, for almost two years.

“Hamburg doesn’t have anything like it out here,” Coleman said.

Lee also owns Kyoto, a Japanese restaurant located on Maple Road in Amherst. According to Coleman, when the two men began discussing a second restaurant, Lee decided he did not want to open up a second Japanese restaurant. He wanted to do something different.

The location and idea were a perfect marriage, Coleman said.

“(Residents in the Southtowns) won’t have to drive as far,” he said.

As more people learn about it, Coleman said the numbers have been steadily increasing.

Coleman noted that the building, which formerly housed Perkins restaurant, was purchased in December. Lee and Coleman worked on the interior themselves from mid-January until April. One of the benefits of the building was that not only was the equipment in tact, it was not that old.

“We started talking about what we wanted on the menu,” Coleman said, adding they visited other restaurants to see what they liked and did not like about various aspects of them to create something different.

But they also wanted to bring in a chef who had their own ideas on what to make.

“We didn’t want to handcuff a chef with a handmade menu,” Coleman said.

Titan’s then hired 24-year-old Pierre Carriere, who worked at places such as Park Lane in the past, in large part because when they brought him in to interview, they asked him to create dishes. He made three entrees, two appetizers and a salad in about 90 minutes.

“He’s got everybody in line,” Coleman said, noting that Carriere has a great demeanor and is a great asset to the restaurant. “He really knocked our socks off.”

There are a number of items on the menu which have been very popular. Among them are the crab cakes. He said they use very little filler, and they are breaded in panko.

“Land and sea” is another popular seller, which Coleman said includes sauteed shrimp, grilled shrimp, a side and either soup or salad.

“Mr. Lee and I went back and forth on the menu for probably a month,” Coleman said.

Something the restaurant prides itself on is that when it comes to making sauces, they are made per-order, which makes it fresher for the customer.

As far as the name, Coleman said that is another thing that the two of them went back and forth on before he half jokingly told Lee they should call it Titan’s. He said Titan (although spelled differently) is the nickname of Lee, and in Greek Mythology, is refers to a monsterous beast. And with big, charbroiled steak, it seemed to be a natural fit.

According to Coleman, the menu is still a work in progress and there will be seasonal changes to it, while maintaining many favorites year-around. Among the items that will be introduced is the Avacado egg roll, which will be on the menu shortly.

Coleman said also with Titan’s proximity to Ralph Wilson Stadium, to keep an eye out for Buffalo Bills gameday specials this fall.

Titan’s Steakhouse, which is open for lunch and dinner, is open fom 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information, call 646-1177, visit www.titanssteakhouse.com or visit there Facebook page, which is Titans Steakhouse.